This boiled fruit cake is one of our favourites, it always cuts well and keeps for up to a month, if wrapped in foil and it makes the most welcome gift (at any time of year!).

It’s also very versatile, if there’s a particular ingredient that you don’t like, for example peel, then just add a bit more of one of the others. It works every time!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Note; I’ve also made this cake into a wedding cake and it works brilliantly. 🤵🏽👰🏼

1kg mixed dried fruit, sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel

100g glacé cherries, chopped

100g dried apricots, chopped

250g butter

150g brown sugar, firmly packed

100ml brandy or sherry

100ml water

5 eggs, beaten

1tbs black treacle

2tsp grated orange rind

1tsp grated lemon rind

250g plain flour

80g self – raising flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp ground cinnamon

2tsp mixed spice

50g flaked almonds, reserving a few for the top

50g walnuts, chopped

Combine the fruit, butter, sugar brandy or sherry and water in a saucepan. Stir constantly over the heat without boiling until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, leave to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 150c, gas 2, 300f

Grease a deep 23cms round or deep 19cms square pan, line the base and sides with double thickness greaseproof paper bringing the paper 5cms above the edge of the pan.

Add the eggs, black treacle, grated orange and lemon rinds to the fruit mixture and stir to combine. Sift the flours, bicarb and spices together and add to the mixture.

Gently stir in the almonds and walnuts and put the mixture into the prepared tin, sprinkle over a few flaked almonds, if desired and bake in the oven for 2 ½ hours. Cool cake in the tin.